by Kathryn Hoff
“Of course I am. I hear them quite clearly. The answer’s in the city. You don’t need to tie me up. I’ll help us to go there and find them.”
Rachel was being very slow to understand. But then, she was just a Terran, not graced with the ability to hear the Sages’ call.
Come! Come, beloved friends!
“Danto was right,” Rachel said. “That energy spike from the city had all the characteristics of a beacon. Sage technology. I suspect this beacon is drawing in anyone who has Gavoran genetics.”
“Patch,” Kojo said. “Fight it. You’re not a Gav slave, you’re a free Terran.”
“Don’t worry, Kojo,” I assured him. “I’m just fine.” Poor Kojo. He might be my half-brother but he was just a Terran. How could he understand?
I was exhausted and my middle hurt, but I was happy. I didn’t mind being trussed up on the dirty deck, as long as we were getting closer to Nakana. I felt more at peace than I’d been in months.
All would be well once we arrived on the planet. I’d thought Sparrowhawk was my home and that Kojo was my family. But now I knew that home and family were waiting for me on Nakana. Kojo didn’t need me, didn’t want Sparrow. He could go his own way and I could stay here and we’d both be happy.
Soon we’d be there, among the sweet grasslands and the beautiful long-haired beasts.
Sparrowhawk made its final approach to the planet surface, retro rockets blasting. Part of my mind calculated the power mods we were wasting, using thrusters to land without the assistance of a port’s lifters.
But that was silly. We didn’t need to conserve power for liftoff, we could all just stay here, on Nakana.
I didn’t mind being tied up. I didn’t care, I was going home.
Jamila had propped me up against a console next to Grim—unconscious and snoring.
She whispered to me, “Fight back, Patch. Whatever you’re hearing, it’s not for you.”
I squirmed away from her. “You’ve been blind and deaf to the relic from the beginning. Balan and Deprata tried to tell you, but you dismissed them. You said they were deluded. You locked Suriel in a tiny case and kept it away from the only people who cared about it.”
Come, beloved friends! The Sages’ call was like the voice of Suriel, multiplied by hundreds. A community awaited us, a welcoming family ready to embrace us.
Jamila teared up and turned away. Perhaps she was beginning to regret her actions.
Kojo swept a hand over his eyes, his shoulders shaking.
Rachel fussed into the com node, “Danto, please listen. Some of the life on the planet could be dangerous.” Ridiculous.
“Dr. Fiori, be quiet,” he said.
I tried to soothe her. “Really, Rachel, you don’t need to worry. We’ve been called. They are waiting for us. We’ll be fine.”
Rachel knelt at my side and looked in my eyes. “Patch, the Sages forced Gavorans into castes. They made you and your mother and all your mothers before her into slaves. Nakana is not peace and joy for you. It’s slavery. Fight them!”
For a moment, the vision of peaceful animals slipped away and I saw instead the coursing of hot blood through their veins. It made me dizzy.
Kojo said, “You’re Terran, Patch. Terran and free. Fight back.”
I saw my brother as if he was a stranger. A brown Terran face showing hints of the wrinkles that age would bring. A man whose once-reliable charm had abandoned him. His clothes were worn and rumpled, the left sleeve torn away to accommodate the splint. His eyes—usually filled with humor—were ringed with pain. For a moment, I saw Papa’s face in Kojo’s, and the pain and hopelessness I’d seen in Papa’s eyes during his last hours.
Poor Papa. Poor Kojo. Only Terrans, blind to the true beauty of the cosmos.
Sparrowhawk—I’d thought she was my home. She was nothing but a shabby old space hauler. A military cutter so obsolete the Selkids didn’t care who owned her. A ragged vessel, barely ether-worthy, good only for carrying other people’s castoffs from one poverty-stricken frontier planet to another, kept operating by substandard jump cells, massive amounts of Prestoseal, and sheer stubbornness.
Why had I fought so hard to keep her? Now I had a new home. A better home.
The ruined city below us filled the viewscreen. There was elegance in the massive blocks of stone hidden under the shroud of vegetation. It must have been magnificent.
We could make it so again.
“Don’t worry, Kojo,” I said. “I’m perfectly fine. Everything is fine.”
His face crumpled, making him even uglier.
As Sparrow descended with blasting retros, a grazing herd scampered away. Their undulating, six-legged gait rippled as they ran. They were beautiful.
Come, beloved friends!
With a rattle and thump, Sparrowhawk came to rest on Nakana.
Mya appeared at the door to the cargo hold, Danto close behind her. She still clutched the relic to her breast. I could see from her paleness she’d been feeding it again and I burned with envy.
“Open the hatch,” Mya said. “It is time to return Suriel to its home. It is time to meet the Sages.”
Come, beloved friends!
“Don’t open the hatch!” Rachel stood before Mya, blocking the way. “The beacon is affecting your judgment—please stop and think. We know the planet has large animals, they could be a danger. And we don’t know what kind of other organisms exist here. Opening the hatch might expose us all to harm.”
Mya looked at Rachel pityingly. “The Sages have called us. We will be perfectly safe.”
“But will Nakana be safe from you?” Rachel voice was strident, annoying. “If you carry our microbes into the atmosphere, you could harm the life here.”
Mya faltered. “No…we were called. The Sages want us here.”
“I wasn’t called,” Kojo said. “And neither were the rest of us Terrans. What about our microbes? You never know what can happen when a new species comes to a planet.”
“At least go through the airlock and use protective gear,” Rachel urged. “I’ve already put two environment suits in the airlock.”
I wiggled in my bonds. “Mya, take me with you, please. I’ve been called, too. I can help you.” I wanted so badly to go. Needed to go.
Jamila covered her mouth with her hands.
Mya bent over me. “You are merely a slave. How could you be worthy of the Sages?”
“Please! I’ll help you. I’ll be your slave. Take me with you.” Panic washed over me. Would she keep me away from my one true home?
Kojo made an odd coughing sound. He turned away, his eyes blinking.
Danto laid a hand on Mya’s shoulder. “It might be wise to take precautions to protect both you and Nakana.”
He pulled me to my feet. “Very well, slave. You will go with Mya and protect her from wild animals while I remain in control of the ship. If you allow anything to happen to her, I will destroy the Terrans on this ship. I will rip them apart, one by one.”
“Thank you!” I cried. “I’ll protect Mya.”
Kojo wiped his sweaty face with his good hand, his shoulders shaking.
Rachel stared into the air, the fingers of one hand lightly tapping her hip. Her bruised face was lumpy, misshapen. “Mya, you should be careful…”
Danto casually reached out one of his long arms and swatted Rachel’s head, sending her crashing to the deck.
“Now,” he said, “into the airlock.”
Mya and I shed our outer layers of clothing, down to leggings and undervests. We entered the airlock and sealed the door. “Quickly,” Mya said. “They are waiting for us.”
Crowded together, trembling with excitement, I helped Mya put on the enviro suit. For a moment while Mya dressed, I held Suriel in my own hands. Solid, cool, smooth—I hugged the relic to me, giddy as a schoolgirl.
Mya snatched it away, slipping it under her vest next to her skin. “Tie my belt over it to keep it in place,” she said. “Suriel will be safe from the sterilize
r within my suit.”
I hurried into my own suit, double-checked the seals, and made sure our helmets were secured.
“Close your helmet visor, Mya,” I said. “Initializing sterilization.”
Through the eye-shielding visor, I dimly saw the bright blue sterilizing light. We turned and lifted our limbs to allow the light to bathe all surfaces.
When the light turned off, Danto said through the helmet mics, “Sterilization complete. You can open the outer doors. Blessings upon you, Mya.”
In the background Kojo’s voice called, “Patch, come back safe.”
The place where Sparrow had landed seemed made for that purpose—a broad, flat hexagon near one of the wide avenues. I followed Mya out the hatch, marveling at the city, impressive and lovely even in its ruined state. Vines and shrubs shrouded the remains of long, low buildings, elegant in their simplicity. Horizontal ovals for doors and windows beckoned us to explore. Above us, clouds in a green sky glowed gold where the twin suns gilded them.
Home.
Nearby, a group of small furred creatures jostled one another, feeding in the brush. At our first steps on Nakana, they froze and silently watched us before rippling away with a collective twitch. Farther away, on the plain, a herd of the large hairy beasts steadfastly marched toward the distant mountains, snatching at grass as they passed.
I hugged myself with pleasure. It was all so beautiful.
The broad avenue led up a mild incline toward a dome amid the fallen buildings. “There,” Mya said. “We must go there.”
Come. Come, beloved friends! Here is the peace you seek.
With a small cry, Mya began to walk toward the dome.
“Tell us what is happening!” Danto demanded.
“We’re being called to the dome,” I said. “The Sages are waiting for us there.”
Peace and joy. My feet seemed to move of their own volition up the path.
“Mya, slow down,” Jamila called into the helmet mics. “Record everything you can. This is our first view of these ruins, we need as complete a record as possible.”
Mya paused. “Yes, you are right. Our first expedition to Nakana. This is a historic moment.”
“Pan your helmet imager over the buildings,” Jamila said. “Look at the houses.”
Walkways between the dwellings made the homes look light and pleasant.
“Let me see those columns.” Lining the avenue were short plinths of gray stone, topped with shallow bowls.
Something flickered at the edge of my vision. I turned, awkward in the enviro suit, but there was nothing to see. The shrubs gently stirred.
Come, beloved friends!
Mya strode up the path. “We should go. The Sages are waiting.”
Behind me, the brush rustled.
One of the hairy beasts wandered out of the vegetation, only steps behind me. Its back higher than my shoulder, it grazed along the path, head down, its mandible-like appendages twitching over the ground. Tails swished over its sides and its six feet scuffed up a cloud of dust.
Danto shouted into the mic, “What is that animal? Protect Mya.”
“But the Sages call us…”
“Protect her! I will break Kojo’s foot next.”
“No! I’ll do it.”
I backed up the pathway behind Mya, keeping my eyes on the shaggy creature. On the plain outside the city were hundreds more, all moving purposefully toward a nearby range of hills, raising dust as they went. Perhaps this one was a rebellious soul, yearning for solitude or adventure.
Come beloved friends. This is your true home, a place of peace.
I backed farther up the path, eager to join Mya.
The huffing beast blundered forward, apparently oblivious to my presence, ponderously swinging its head as it snuffled for grass. Perhaps, somewhere in its dull brain, it dimly heard the call to the top of the hill.
“I’m sure it doesn’t mean any harm.” I made pushing motions with my hands. “Shoo, beastie. Go home.”
Peace, the voices crooned. Come, beloved friends.
Sweet animal, lovely creature. No reason to fear it. I could almost feel the warmth of its flesh. My head swam with the thought of its blood pumping through its veins.
The animal veered into the brush, passing close enough to touch.
Beautiful beastie. As it passed, I reached out a gloved hand to stroke its long hair.
My hand came away covered with worms.
CHAPTER 30
The call of blood
I tried to brush the maggots off, but they stuck firmly to the enviro suit.
The beast stumbled. Its tails were, like me, frantically trying to dislodge the creatures. Seen closer, what I had taken for dense hair was a thick layer of the worms.
And that was no dust cloud following the beast—it was a swarm of tiny flying creatures.
The huge animal faltered and fell. The swarm immediately settled on it.
The emaciated animal kicked its six legs uselessly, struggling to get up, the maggots draining it while it was still alive.
Feeling sick, I backed away in disgust. Dozens of the maggots clung to my suit. I tried to pick them off one by one, but my gloves made me clumsy.
With a sudden surge of panic, I turned back toward the ship. The sterilizer would kill them.
Danto’s voice sounded in my helmet mic. “Why do you delay? Stay with Mya. Make sure she comes to no harm.”
Come! The voices of Nakana drew me upward, toward the ruined central dome.
Peace and joy. Come beloved friends.
The voices tugged at the core of my being. Veneration of the ancestors had been instilled in me since birth. All my life, the spirits had been with me, bolstering my courage and strength in hard times. I wanted only to obey and find the peace they promised.
From my helmet mic, I heard Rachel cry, “Patch, they’re parasites! They’re feeding on the animal’s blood.”
“Patch, get out—” Kojo’s shout was followed by a grunt.
“Kojo?”
For a moment I turned, ready to run back to the ship, desperate to shut the voices out of my head.
Danto ordered, “Patch, your only concern is to protect Mya.”
The power of the voices terrified me, luring me to surrender myself to Nakana’s promise of peace. Inner horror urged me to escape back to the ship, to get off this planet.
Choosing was part of my life. Speak Gav or Terran? Gav robe or Terran jacket? Cut my hair short to look like a Gav pelt or let the Terran hair grow long? Hide under a hat or let everyone see my Gav brow? Never quite fitting in, never really at home. Only on Sparrowhawk, among Papa and Kojo and Hiram and even Archer, had I felt truly comfortable. Really able to be myself.
Fight back, Kojo had said. Like my mother, who had risked her life to send me to freedom. Like my father, who had smuggled me away to Terran worlds.
Above all, I had to keep my family safe. Abandoning Mya could mean Kojo’s death.
I trod up the pathway toward the dome, panic alternating with despair.
Mya was far ahead, nearly to the dome.
“Mya, wait for me!” I called. I ran after her, tripping over vines encroaching on the broken stone pavement.
Come! Come, beloved friends! The voices were gentle, kind, generous.
Lies.
I silently prayed, Ancestors, give me strength. I am free. I will fight back.
As I stumbled up behind her, Mya reached the plaza. There, the dome, supported by thin columns, covered a broad plaza where six avenues converged. Where one of the columns had crumbled, the roof had dipped and cracked, leaving chunks strewn on the ground.
Mya paused, letting her helmet imager pan over the vine-covered, ruined city.
In the center of the plaza stood six low plinths, each topped with a broad, shallow bowl. Mya went to the closest, raised both hands, and began to recite a prayer to the Sages.
Come, beloved friends!
I waited nearby, silently adding my own prayer
that she would dump the damned relic and get back to the ship quickly. I kept an eye out for any more of the wandering beasts, reflexively brushing the flying insect-creatures from my enviro suit.
I let my helmet imager play over the nearest plinth. The bowl was etched inside with six spokes, reflecting the layout of the city. Its metal rim curved inward at the top, remarkably clean and sharp.
Come, beloved friends! Prove your love! Feed us!
At a soft cry, I spun around. Mya had removed her helmet and was freeing her hands and arms from the enviro suit.
I ran to her, Danto frantically shouting in my ear.
The flying creatures buzzing about the plaza dashed to attack Mya. She thrashed at them with her hands.
“Put the helmet back on!” I cried.
Feed us!
I picked up her helmet and tried to cram it on her head. With surprising strength, she pushed me away and stepped out of her enviro suit.
Mya leaned over the bowl. With a quick outward movement of her arms, as if parting a curtain, she slashed both wrists on the sharp metal rim.
Blood spurted. She held her arms over the bowl and let her blood flow into the etched channels. Her lips still moved in her chanted prayer.
The insect-creatures swarmed to the scent of blood. They were all over the bowl, her arms, her back, her face.
The voices gave a collective sigh of satisfaction. Thank you, beloved friends. You are the chosen ones. Bring your race to us and we will care for you and give you peace. You will know peace and joy.
“It’s a trap!” Danto shouted. “Bring her back! Bring Mya back now!”
I brushed as many of the creatures off her face as I could and jammed her helmet back onto her head. She swayed, nearly unconscious. I bent, put my shoulder under her and straightened, despite my aching abdomen.
Danto shouted nonstop.
Mya’s legs hung before my one shoulder; her arms, still seeping blood and covered with hungry creatures, draped over the other. I had to hunch forward to keep her body from slipping back. As I hobbled down the slope toward the ship, her head bobbed with each step.
The voices sang in my head. Come, beloved friends. Peace and joy.
